Tag Archives: general tso’s

I’ve been making this recipe with my family for years. It’s always been one of my favorite foods to make at home but fried in a wok and containing lots of sugar and cornstarch made it everything but healthy. So this go around I tried to lighten it up while still maintaining the integrity of the dish. I reduced the amounts of sugar, salt, oil and cornstarch to lower the calories and sodium in this meal. The end result was great. My husband and brother even commented it tasted better than the original recipe. The sauce is thick and tangy with just enough heat and the chicken stays moist and tender. I hope you enjoy.

-H

Ingredients – Sauce:

1/4 cup corn starch

1/8 cup water

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 inch of fresh ginger root, minced

1/4 cup white sugar

4 Tbs low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/8 cup cooking sherry or white wine

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

2 cups green onions, chopped

4 dried peppers or 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (alter to taste)

Ingredients – Meat:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 Tbs soy sauce

1 tsp white pepper

1 1/2 Tbs corn starch

1 1/2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine all meat ingredients except olive oil in a large bowl. Allow to marinate at room temperature while preparing other ingredients.

2. Combine all sauce ingredients except peppers and green onion in a large bowl. Mix well until cornstarch and sugar is dissolved.

3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cooked until browned and cooked through (appx 15 min). Remove chicken and set aside.

4. Reduce heat to medium and add green onions and peppers to remaining oil in skillet. Cook until onions are tender and the peppers are fragrant (appx 2 min). Re-mix the sauce ingredients and add to the pan. Stir consistently until sauce thickens and starts to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add chicken. Cook until chicken is heated through (appx 2 min).